This invention relates generally to self service car washes and, in particular, to means for cleaning and storing a car washing brush when the brush is not in use.
In most coin operated car washes, the customer, upon placing a predetermined amount of money into the automatic washing apparatus, selects a desired wash cycle best suited for cleaning his vehicle. In response to the selection, a control unit will selectively program a number of valves which, in turn, deliver water and other ingredients to a hose in an ordered sequence to clean and sometimes wax the automobile. Typically, a supply hose from the control valve unit is connected to a long handled brush having one or more openings located behind the brush bristles. The brush handle is usually hollow and serves to connect the openings to the hose. In practice, the brush is used to dislodge soils from the surface of the automobile and also to evenly distribute cleaning liquids thereover.
The hose and brush equipment is generally contained in unheated bays that are difficult to maintain during winter months. The amount of soils collected upon the surface of an auto increases dramatically during cold months because of the use of salt and sand on the road surface. Accordingly, wash brushes become contaminated with dirt and grime that can scratch or otherwise mar a car's finish. To add to the problem, the wetted bristles can also become frozen whereupon the brush becomes completely useless. To combat these problems some self service car was operators simply remove the brush during the winter months leaving only a high pressure long handled "wand" for the customer to use. Any scrubbing must be accomplished by hand held sponges or rags thereby making the cleaning job a cold, wet and difficult task. As a consequence, removal of dirt, grime and, in particular, corrosion producing salts from the vehicle is sometimes less than satisfactory during periods where a thorough cleaning is most warranted.
As a result of a pre-examination search, the following patents of interest were uncovered:
______________________________________ 957,989 3,265,087 2,576,185 3,657,763 2,640,489 3,103,312 2,994,329 4,018,240 ______________________________________
For the most part, these prior art patents relate to devices for cleaning paint brushes and industrial brushes of various types wherein the brush is placed in a remote fixture and acted upon by another brush and/or a cleaning solvent. In all cases, the brush must be further conditioned through drying or remounting in the original equipment before it can be placed back in service. The remaining patents involve car washing equipment for heating cleaning liquids used in the wash cycle and for mounting the supply hoses so they cannot become entangled during the washing process.